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ZERO S01E02: The Armor Reforms
Episode 2: The Armor Reforms is the second episode of Star Rider ZERO, an online written show by Haou1987. It began on September 13, 2013. This episode features the first bonding between Mark Wellace and ZERO and the first introduction of a minor villian named Alexis "Dreadtooth" Areezen Characters introduced: Alexis "Dreadtooth" Areezen, the ARCO Industries Board of Directors, Colin Harris Production and writing time: '''September 17, 2013 - September 18, 2013 Synopsis Mark Wellace and Ashley Lewis arrive at the park where the meteor piece hit the water fountain. Noticing how small the meteor piece is and how big the crater created by the meteor piece is compared to it, Mark finds it pretty interesting and asks Ashley to take some pictures of it. As they circle it, Mark fails to notice the water in the ruined water fountain, had turned a darker shade of blue. Unbeknownst to either of them, a sentient symbiote had vaporated into the water, waiting its time. As the police arrives, Mark and Ashley return to the group of people watching the fountain, who soon then turn their attention to Mark, due to his status as savior of the school bus. As the police set off the perimeter, Mark and Ashley watch how a van arrives with people clad in white suits. At the headquarters of ARCO Industries a meeting is taking place between the board of directors, investors and it is presented by Dr. Hannibal Leichter. One of the directors asks Hannibal Leichter what his progression is with the Implant program. They heard about the recently admitted new patient. Dr. Leichter tells them he is happy to announce results. He shows them a video of the accident that happened two weeks earlier, the accident that Mark Wellace was capable of making sure the children in the school bus were not harmed. The member of the board asks if that is one of them and Dr. Leichter confirms this. The investors say they are impressed but that they want more results and more advancement. The board agrees on this, ordering Dr. Leichter to make sure the patient is under their control. Dr. Leichter smirks, saying he will make sure Mark Wellace is on time for his next appointment. Back at the park, Mark and Ashley watch as the men in suit mark the perimeter and Mark understands the government is taking control of the situation. A police officer comes to the crowd watching and orders them to leave. He also informs that if anyone has come in touch with the meteor piece, they should stay to be checked up by the members of the CDC. Mark, Ashley and a handfull of people remain and the officer notices Mark and sighs. Mark greets him as Colin Harris and the officer acknowledges this. Mark explains to Ashley that Colin is the former partner of Tommy Dallow, his police contact. Colin says he was until this guy got him killed, meaning Mark. He then informs both of them to go to the men in white to get checked up. Arriving at the men in white, a female doctor named Samantha takes Ashley apart, while Mark is approached by Robert Crane, the one who was with him in the hospital. Mark asks what he is doing here. Robert says he has been asked to supervise the progress of Mark after his surgery. After he heard Mark had been sighted here, he decided to come down here. As Mark is checked out fine, the water behind him and Robert stir and drops down in the pocket of the jacket of Mark. Samantha, the female doctor from the CDC, returns into the tent being followed by Ashley, who tells Mark she is fine. Mark, being relieved, asks the CDC if there is any knowledge about what comes off the meteor, but the CDC refuses to say anything. As Mark, Robert and Ashley leave, one of the CDC people takes a water sample from the broken bowl of water of the water fountain. Robert hands Mark a card, saying he expects him to be at St. Hargreave Hospital for a check-up on the implants and how they are functioning. Dr. Leichter will be there available himself. He tells Mark to be there tomorrow, it is important they keep the checks on implants as often as possible. Mark assures him he will be there tomorrow. Telling Ashley he is tired and he will take a quick nap at the penthouse before returning to work, Mark leaves the scene and Ashley worries about him. Robert tells her not to be to worried, he will be fine, the implants are doing great sofar. Ashley worries what will happen once the implants fail. Robert tells her they will not let it come that far. In the penthouse, Mark is taking a nap, but while he sleeps he cannot ignore the voices, speaking in a strange language in his head. He has flashes of the night sky, the moon shining over New York. It is not long before he realizes he is actually very much awake. Looking down he does not recognize the outfit he is wearing. He seems to be dressed in a liquid armor, bright blue with black tints, and he can see more clearly then ever. Not thinking straight he suddenly finds himself running and jumping over rooftops, bursting through a few doors, scaring people inside apartments, but no-one seems to recognize him. Finally capable of stopping he finds himself on top of the building of the New York Herald, seeing how Ashley is getting scolded by Horace Morrow for being there alone and where Mark is. Before he can even react, Ashley and Morrow see him, but he is away fast enough, again uncontrollably sprinting. Finally stopping back at the roof of the Chester Field Hotel, Mark thinks this must stop and at command the liquid armor disappears around him, transforming him back into his regular outfit. Unable to fathom how this was done and exhausted from the experience, Mark drops asleep on his bed. He is awoken by the sound of an angry Ashley knocking on his door, demanding him to open it. Mark opens it and Ashley scolds him for not showing up at the meeting with Morrow. Mark apologizes and then realizes he has to go to the hospital for his check-up. Ashley warns him he better not be late again next time or she will ask to be replaced to another reporter and he can say goodbye to his job. Mark assures her he will be in time. Arriving at the hospital he is met by Dr. Leichter and his assistants, but not by Robert. Dr. Leichter introduces Mark to Dr. Areezen who will be assisting him in this check-up. Keeping his emotions in tone, Mark undergoes the check-up and in a different room Areezen and Leichter find remarkable results in the readouts on the implants. It shows the activity and intensity for the last couple of hours for the night before was twice as high, even at the peak of the implant's abilities. Dr. Areezen believes they need to do more intensive testing and requests Mark to be quarantined for a night. Leichter believes that is not a good idea. Areezen tells him ARCO Industries hired him to test Wellace's abilities and capabilities and they want results, so he will bring them. Leichter informs Areezen he believes a disclosed environment is not the right place, he should test it in the open. Areezen locks Leichter in and confronts Mark himself. Areezen tells Mark to follow him as they go to a different room. Areezen there throws away his doctor outfit and is revealed to be a fully armed and armored mercenary calling himself "Dreadtooth". Areezen tells Mark to show him what he got. At first Mark is unable to defend himself, but when he sees how the cuts and burns inflicted by Dreadtooth heal themselves due to the implants, he begins to deal some blow as well. His enhanced reflexes makes him able to dodge blows of Dreadtooth too. At some point Mark manages to kick Dreadtooth out of a window and in a flash the liquid armor forms around him again. This time, the match is evened and Dreadtooth is the one getting beat up by Mark, whose abilities and powers are being amplified by the liquid armor. As Dreadtooth crashes into the ground floor, Mark follows and knocks him out. Before dragging him up to the roof again, Mark is amazed when Ben walks through the door of the hospital. Disappearing speeding up to the roof, he is able to hear a shocked Ben ask for his father's room, but Mark is unable to hear more of it. Mark, being able to make the liquid armor disappear again, awakens Dreadtooth and asks him why he was tested like that. Dreadtooth tells him he has no idea what behind the surgery really was, did he? Mark nods in agreement. Dreadtooth says he was a simple test subject for Dr. Leichter. Dreadtooth tells him he may be lucky the guy in the liquid armor appeared to save him otherwise he would have been a guinee pig for them now. Mark, realizing Dreadtooth did not see he was the one controlling the liquid armor, tells him to leave him alone, he did nothing to them, they should leave him alone! Dreadtooth tells him he cannot walk away from them, he will always be of them. He pulls out a device from his pocket and activates it, suddenly knocking Mark to the ground. His body becomes paralyzed again. Dreadtooth tells him he can take him out any time he wants too, there is nothing he can do about it. Mark is freed from the paralyzing effect again and Dreadtooth smirks, saying he has seen enough for now and frees himself and leaves, by jumping to the next building. Mark sighs and stretches out his arms. He hears the silent voice, the whispering voice, in his head again, and the liquid armor slowly reforms around him again. Mark requests to know what this is. The armor reacts itself, using its power to use water to form words on the roof of the hospital. The words spell out ZERO. Mark asks if the armor's name is ZERO and the armor reacts by retracting and extracting its liquid armor around his hands. Mark asks what the armor wants. The armor uses the water to spell out Star Rider. Once again the armor reacts the same way agreeing, when Mark asks him if he is a Star Rider and then the omnious words appear "You are a Star Rider" before the water returns to where it was before ZERO controlled the water. Mark does not understand what it means, but Mark realizes he cannot unbond with the armor as the last bit of liquid armor simply disappears into his skin. He apologizes to ZERO saying he is not what ZERO hopes him to be, he is simply Mark Wellace who has been fortunate enough to live his life to the fullest. He just hopes he can do that without the interference of either ARCO Industries or ZERO. Leaving the hospital, Mark is being watched by Dr. Leichter and Dreadtooth who had changed back to his doctor persona again. Leichter asks Areezen if he had been able to recieve any data and Areezen says he did. The statistics are remarkable. He performs even better then expected. Soon they can develop a new generation of humans and are the old humans undesirable and even wastable. Leichter asks if Mark is going to become a problem and Areezen tells him he will handle Wellace if necessary. Areezen says he has a report to make to the Board, but before he leaves Leichter warns him not to lock him up again, it is not good to anger him. Areezen simply says he has a report to finish and leaves. Mark returns to the Herald building and is asked by Ashley how the check-up went. Mark says it went well, not eventfull. Ashley becomes worried when she sees Mark's jacket having gone wet and a little torn apart. Mark smiles saying he tripped and his jacket fell in a pool of water, nothing to serious. Mark apologizes for him being late and for not showing up for the meeting with Morrow and says they will go meet him now. As they enter the office, Mark tells Morrow and astonishes Ashley he has a very interesting story about ARCO Industries. Morrow says that is a good thing then as Areezen reveals himself, this time as a wealthy representative of ARCO Industries. Morrow explains how ARCO Industries wants to sponsor the Herald and want Mark and Ashley to be the lead reporters on a series of documentaries about ARCO Industries and their influence on New York. With those words, Areezen kindly says goodbye to Morrow, nailing Mark to the ground knowing Areezen is Dreadtooth, but also now stonewalling him, making it impossible to release a negative story to the outside world. When Ashley asks Mark why he looks so white, Mark tells him its nothing and Morrow says he wants them to begin immediately, starting at the influence of ARCO Industries at the East District. Ashley jokes good, then they can finish the story of Diane Dale. Mark and Morrow remain unresponsive about that and they leave. That night, Ben exits his house and Mark overlooks his son. He sighs and tells ZERO that if he wants to show up now is a good time, but he is in control. Indeed the liquid armor forms around him and he jumps down to Ben, landing with ease. As he tells Ben he is okay and he doesn't have to be afraid, Ben tells him he saw him at the hospital fighting some bad guy. Mark says he indeed was fighting a bad guy. Ben asks if he had seen if his father was okay and Mark, after a deep breath, says his father is fine and Ben seems very happy about this. Ben tells Mark about how he wishes his father would be there more often and that they want him to come home. Mark tells him he is sure his father will come back at some point, fathers always do. He should believe his father will do so and Ben promises he will do. As Mark makes a move to leave, Ben says he had never seen a superhero before and didn't know they existed in New York. Mark tells him he is no superhero. Ben asks him what he should name him then and Mark, thinking of what ZERO showed him, says he can call him Star Rider ZERO. Saying goodbye Mark disappears in the night by jumping away. Trivia *No Trivia Seasons 1 - 2 Season 1 1 - '''2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 Category:Star Rider ZERO Episodes Category:Star Rider ZERO Season 1 Episodes